SACRAMENTO — After losing the winners-bracket semifinal, one the Lancers felt was taken from them, the East Union softball team left little doubt that it belonged in Wednesday’s Sac-Joaquin Section championship round against Pioneer.
Needing to win twice in the rematch against the two-time defending section champion Patriots, the Lancers forced a deciding winner-take-all contest with a 12-1 victory in six innings.
The deciding game was even more lopsided.
East Union leadoff hitter Cherish Burks hit two doubles in the first inning, and that set the tone for an emphatic 17-3 five-inning win that clinched Brian Goulart’s second section title as East Union’s head coach and third overall for the program.
“I had never seen anything like it,” Goulart said. “Last night was so disappointing – just hard to swallow. And then to have to come back and beat the two-time section champion was something some would say was impossible – but we pounded them and we did not relent.
“That is the best atmosphere I have ever experienced as a coach. The dugout was insane and there were so many individual performances, and that’s how you want it. Everybody contributed – even the bench with their hooting and hollering – it was just magical. I am just thrilled to death and so proud of the girls.”
Oregon-bound Burks finished 2 for 3 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI.
“You just have to play relaxed and loose,” Burks said. “When you play tense, it’s not going to work out for you.
“Getting ahead and jumping out early was a good feeling for us. It gave us more confidence and we were able to not have to play on our toes all the time.”
Sam Owen has owned the Patriots all year. After going 4 for 4 with an RBI in the night cap, in four games against Pioneer (27-4) this season the East Union shortstop is 13 for 16 with a double and two home runs.
“I don’t think they expected me to hit as good as I did against them,” Owen said. “Because they kept choosing to pitch to me.
“It’s nice knowing that the entire lineup can contribute.”
Once a team gets past Owen, it has cleanup batter Alexis Erich to contend with. Erich was 3 for 3 with a walk, RBI and three runs.
“We knew that we had to take it one play at a time, one game at a time,” Erich said. “And to have this outcome is really kind of special.”
Out of 17 hits for the Lancers (30-3), only one left the yard – a solo shot by Alejandra Rascon in the fourth inning.
“I switched to the right side looking for a consistent at-bat,” Rascon said. “And I saw my pitch, swung at it and before you know it, it was out.”
Mikayla Bongi drew the pitching duties in the nightcap for East Union, and outside of a two-run, three-hit third inning, she was in complete control, allowing just five hits and striking out six in the five -inning contest
“It was all about adrenaline,” Bongi said. “Everyone had adrenaline going.
“They were not ready for it, and we were.”
East Union forced the extra game with an overall dominating performance – in the chalked circle, in the field, at the plate and on the base paths.
Delaney Pamplin was as she normally is when pitching — unfazed. Although she sprinkled seven hits through the six-inning affair, she maintained a cool demeanor. She was not overpowering — she only had one strikeout — but she continually allowed her defense to make the big play.
“We just wanted it bad,” Pamplin said. “We knew we had to go in there and win or we wouldn’t play after that.”
And first baseman Michelle Castro had two big plays early one to help keep Pioneer at bay. She had a base-hit-robbing dive on a grounder for an unassisted putout, and in the second she duplicated the effort on a line drive, doubling up the runner on first for an unassisted double play. In the third inning left fielder Taylor Ward chased down a long fly ball, robbing the Patriots of a double.
Then there were the bats. In what turned out to be a warm-up for the second game, the East Union bats were on fire. The top three in the order – Burks (3 for 3, double, four runs),
Castro (2 for 3, RBIs, four runs) and Owen (3 for 3, home run, five RBIs, three runs) were a combined 8 of 9 with 11 runs and six RBIs. Cleanup batter Erich knocked in five runs – one on a groundout, two on a single and two more on a sacrifice, the final two showing the reckless abandon the Lancers successfully employed on the base paths.
With one out in the sixth, Burks on third and Castro on second, Pioneer intentionally walked Owen to get to Erich who launched a towering fly ball to the center-field fence. The speedster Burks easily scored from third, and the throw to the plate went up the first-base line. Castro never broke stride and her head-first slide avoided the tag by the catcher for the game’s last run.
Only losing Burks to graduation, the future looks bright for the Lancers as Pamplin, Bongi and Erich are sophomores while starting third baseman Izabella Owen is a freshman.
NOT EVEN CLOSE
Lancers throttle Pioneer twice for section title

